San Jose to host 2016 MLS All-Star Game

May 28, 2015 - 6:53 PM
San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Major League Soccer announced on Thursday
that Avaya Stadium, the home of the San Jose Earthquakes, has been selected to
host the 2016 MLS All-Star Game.

"We are pleased to bring the AT&T MLS All-Star Game to San Jose and know that
Avaya Stadium and the Earthquakes' passionate supporters will provide a
vibrant and electric setting for this marquee event," said MLS Commissioner
Don Garber in a statement. "It will be 15 years since the last time San Jose
hosted our All-Star Game, and the growth of the All-Star Game and festivities
has mirrored the remarkable progress of the sport in North America. We look
forward to celebrating our game with soccer fans throughout the Bay Area."

The 2016 All-Star Game will mark the second time San Jose has hosted the
event, previously hosting in 2001 when the Eastern Conference and Western
Conference All-Star squads played to a 6-6 draw at Spartan Stadium.

Earthquakes head coach Dominic Kinnear will serve as coach of the All-Stars
squad, while the opponent for the game will be announced at a later date.

Avaya Stadium became Major League Soccer's 15th soccer-specific stadium when
it opened its doors in March 2015. It is an 18,000-seat stadium located just
outside downtown San Jose, adjacent to the San Jose International Airport. The
European-inspired building is the first cloud-enabled venue in MLS and offers
fans access to a high-end Wi-Fi solution in addition to interactive digital
displays around the concourse.

"The MLS All-Star game is one of the showcase events every year for Major
League Soccer, and we are proud to bring the game to our beautiful new venue,"
said Earthquakes president Dave Kaval in a statement. "Avaya Stadium is the
perfect stadium to host this signature event, and we look forward to showing
off our city to the soccer world in 2016. We continue to attract top events to
Avaya Stadium, and hosting the MLS All-Star Game is another great achievement
for the venue."

2016 will mark the 13th time an international club will match up with the best
that MLS has to offer. The All-Stars have a 7-3-1 record in All-Star games.
including a 2-1 win over Bayern Munich at Portland's Providence Park.

This season's All-Star festivities will take place on July 29 at Dick's
Sporting Goods Park, the home of the Colorado Rapids. The MLS All-Stars will
square off against Premier League side Tottenham-Hotspur, which finished the
2014-15 in fifth place.